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Syrian army’s jet shot down in Idlib, report says

The pilot ejected and his fate remains unknown

© REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof, archive

ANKARA, March 1. /TASS/. The Syrian government troops’ plane was shot down in the Idlib Governorate on Sunday, the Anadolu news agency reported.

According to the Turkish TV channel A Haber, the L-39 plane was downed by militants of the so-called Syrian armed opposition near Saraqib, in the southeast of the Idlib Governorate. The pilot ejected and his fate remains unknown, the report claimed.

In its turn, the SANA news agency reported that the Syrian troops had downed a Turkish drone belonging to the Syrian armed opposition fighting on Turkey’s side. The incident occurred near Saraqib.

The Syrian army has declared closing the airspace over the country’s northwest, including over Idlib, Sky News Arabia TV channel reported on Sunday. In its statement, the Syrian military said that any plane violating the airspace in this zone would be considered as an enemy and would be shot down in order to prevent aggressive actions.

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